Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir Claud William Jacob, (21 November 1863 – 2 June 1948) was a

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer. He served in the First World War as commander of the Dehra Dun Brigade, as General Officer Commanding 21st Division and as General Officer Commanding

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

in the Fifth Army. During the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

, his corps undertook the British attack during the

Battle of Thiepval Ridge The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive of the Reserve Army (Lieutenant General Hubert Gough), during the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack was intended to benefit from the Four ...

in September 1916 and the subsequent assault on St Pierre Divion during the Battle of the Ancre in November 1916. He remained in command of II Corps for the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

in Autumn 1917. After the War he commanded a corps of the British Army of the Rhine during the occupation there and then served as Chief of the General Staff in India. He went on to be General Officer Commanding Northern Command in India before temporarily becoming

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

and then taking over as Military Secretary to the India Office.

Military career

Jacob was born on 21 November 1863, at Mahidpur in the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

of British India, to Major-General William Jacob and Eliza Jacob. Educated at Sherborne School, he passed into Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Worcestershire Regiment on 9 September 1882. On 16 December 1884, stationed at Quetta, he secured his transfer from the Worcestershire Regiment to the Indian service and, in July 1886, he became adjutant of the 30th Regiment (Jacob's) Bombay Native Infantry also known as 3rd Belooch Regiment (now 12 Baloch).Heathcote, p. 190 He first saw action with the Zhob Valley expedition of 1890 after which he was posted to the 24th (Baluchistan) Regiment of Bombay Infantry (now 6 Baloch) in 1891. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 9 September 1893 and to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 10 July 1901, he was selected to command the Zhob Levy Corps, which kept the peace in the North West Frontier Province along the Waziristan and Southern Afghanistan border. He took part in the blockade of the Mahsud Waziri tribe at the end of 1901. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 1 October 1904, he was given command of the

106th Hazara Pioneers The 106th Hazara Pioneers was a pioneer infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1904 at Quetta from Hazara people. They were disbanded in 1933. Establishment The first contact between the British and the Hazaras was jus ...

. Promoted to brevet colonel on 1 October 1908 and to full colonel on 1 January 1911, he was appointed

GSO1 A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

of the Meerut Division on 2 September 1912. General Sir Claud William Jacob, Kcb Art

At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Jacob went with the Meerut division, part of the Indian corps, to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. He saw action at the closing stages of the Battle of La Bassée in October 1914. Promoted to temporary

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on 5 January 1915, he was appointed to command the Dehra Dun Brigade, and led the brigade at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 and the Battle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915. Promoted to temporary major-general on 7 September 1915, he became General Officer Commanding the Meerut division and led the division at the Battle of Loos in October 1915. With the Indian Corps was preparing to leave the Western front, he was appointed to take over the 21st Division of the "New Armies" on 18 November 1915. Promoted to the substantive rank of major-general on 1 January 1916 and despite being wounded in March 1916,Heathcote, p. 191 he was promoted to temporary

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 28 May 1916 and appointed to command

in the Fifth Army in September 1916. During the

, his corps undertook the British attack during the

in September 1916 and the subsequent assault on St Pierre Divion during the Battle of the Ancre in November 1916. He remained in command of II Corps, having been promoted to the substantive rank of

on 3 June 1917, for the

in Autumn 1917. Jacob commanded a corps of the British Army of the Rhine during the occupation there. He became Chief of the General Staff in India in January 1920 and was then both promoted to full general and appointed Aide-de-Camp to King George V on 31 May 1920. He returned home to England in 1924, and in November of that year was given the Northern Command in India. When Lord Rawlinson died in March 1925, he acted temporarily as

, until

Sir William Birdwood Field Marshal William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, (13 September 1865 – 17 May 1951) was a British Army officer. He saw active service in the Second Boer War on the staff of Lord Kitchener. He saw action again in the First World War ...

took over that role in August 1925 and Jacob returned home again. He took up the appointment of Military Secretary to the India Office in April 1926 and, having been promoted

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 30 November 1926, he remained at the India Office until he retired in May 1930. In retirement Jacob became

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of the Tower of London. He was also Colonel of 2nd Battalion The Baluch Regiment (now 7th Battalion The Baloch Regiment), Colonel of the

and Colonel of the Worcestershire Regiment. In January 1936 he attended the funeral of King George V and in May 1937 he attended the coronation of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

. He died at King's College Hospital in London on 2 June 1948 at the age of eighty-four.

Family

In 1894, he married Clara Pauline Wyatt, daughter of the Reverend J. L. Wyatt, well known as a missionary and student of oriental languages in India, and also a lecturer in Tamil at Cambridge University from 1895 to 1929. The couple had one son, Edward Ian Claud Jacob, who later became Assistant Military Secretary of the War Cabinet and Director-General of the BBC.

Honours

British * KCMG – 1 January 1919 * GCSI – 3 June 1930 (KCSI – 1 January 1924) * GCB – 3 July 1926 (KCB – 1917; CB – 1915) * Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John – 19 June 1926 Foreign *Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) – 11 March 1918 *Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) – 15 December 1919 *

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

(France) – 7 January 1919 * Distinguished Service Medal (United States) – 12 July 1919

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Images of Claud JacobProfile on Worcestershire Regiment site
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Claud 1863 births 1948 deaths Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Worcestershire Regiment officers British field marshals British Commanders-in-Chief of India Indian Army generals of World War I Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George People educated at Sherborne School Constables of the Tower of London Military personnel of British India British Indian Army generals Members of the Council of the Governor General of India